


get out, you're not real

by sleeponrooftops



Series: raising webhead: a parenting guide, attempted by the science boyfriends [69]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-16
Updated: 2013-09-16
Packaged: 2017-12-26 19:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/969478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The superfamily receives some unexpected—and unwanted—guests.</p>
            </blockquote>





	get out, you're not real

“This is Richard and Mary Parker—Peter’s parents.”

 

“No,” Bruce says, turning away.

 

Tony glances at him only briefly before he’s shaking his head and saying, “What—what do you mean, his _parents_?”

 

“They showed up at SHIELD headquarters this morning, said they wouldn’t explain anything until they’d found Peter.  I tried to deny them, but the council has taken control of this.  It’s out of my hands, I’m sorry.”

 

There’s a long, _long_ moment of silence before Bruce composes himself and says, “Why don’t you come in?  We can discuss this over coffee.”

 

“Thank you,” Mary says, smiling, and Bruce holds her gaze for only a second before turning away and going back down the hall.

 

Nick comes in first, and Tony falls into step with him.  “What do they want with Peter?” he asks, keeping his voice low.

 

“Exactly what you fear,” Nick says, not looking at Tony, “They want him back.”

 

“They can’t have him.”

 

“Unfortunately, Peter isn’t a minor anymore, and that decision is up to him.”

 

Tony is rendered both speechless and breathless at his words, and the rest of the walk is done in silence until they’re entering the kitchen.  They’ve barely sat down when Mary says, “Where is my son?”

 

Bruce reaches for Tony, squeezing his wrist when he opens his mouth and Tony nods, going to make coffee and tea while Bruce takes a seat.  “Peter is upstairs right now,” Bruce says quietly, “And he’s going to stay there until we’ve sorted this.  We—”

 

“He is _my_ son,” Mary interrupts him, and she looks close to tears, “I want to see him.”

 

“You gave up that privilege when you _left_ him,” Bruce snaps, “I will not—”

 

“I regret that decision every day of my life,” Mary says, “But he is my son, and it’s time that he met his real parents and came home where he belongs.”

 

“Bruce,” Tony says before he can speak.  A tense silence settles over them, and Bruce feels more unstable than he ever has.  Tony pulls him away from the island, pushes a mug of tea in his hands, and says softly, “You need to calm down.  We’re not going to lose Peter, I promise.  Be here with me, Bruce.”

 

“I’m here,” Bruce says after a moment, nodding, and Tony smiles, pressing a kiss to his forehead before he turns and brings three steaming mugs of coffee over, setting them before Nick, Richard, and Mary.

 

“I think we should start over,” Tony says, trying to keep his voice steady, “We haven’t even been properly introduced.  Tony Stark,” he says, holding out a hand toward Richard, who accepts after a pause, “And this is my husband, Bruce Banner.  We understand what you’re saying, Mrs. Parker, but you also have to understand—”

 

“I don’t have to understand anything!” she exclaims, a tear escaping her eye, “Peter is my _son_.  _Please_.”

 

“Mary,” Richard sighs, taking her hand, “Let them speak.”

 

“He is your son in blood only,” Tony says, and he knows how cold it sounds, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever recover if they take Peter from them.  He takes a seat before continuing, Bruce sitting next to him, “The adoption process was a long one.  SHIELD first brought Peter to us when he was three, some weeks after he’d been bitten by a radioactive spider.”

 

“Oh god,” Mary gasps, a hand flitting to her mouth, “Is he—is he okay?”

 

“He’s a miracle,” Bruce says, “He’s very gifted, both because of the bite and beyond it.”

 

Tony nods, “Yes, he’s okay.  We first met his social worker about three months after we took him in, and we had to undergo a year of evaluation before we could start the adoption process officially.  It took another year to complete, but Peter is, on paper, our son.  We have raised him for the past sixteen years, and thus I think the only solution is to speak with him and let him decide where he wants to go from here.  If he chooses to return to you, there is nothing we can do to stop him, as he is eighteen now, but, if he chooses to stay with us, there is also nothing you can do to stop him, and we all need to understand that.”

 

“He’s our _son_ , of course he’s going to come home with us,” Mary says, already standing.

 

Bruce’s short, hollow laugh stops her, and she looks over at him in bewilderment.  “He isn’t,” he says, looking up at her, “You left him, and he’s never forgiven you for that.”

 

“He doesn’t even know—”

 

“Yes,” Bruce cuts her off, “He does know why you left.  We haven’t kept anything from him, and, even if we did, he’s very adept at discovering things on his own.  We’ve spoken at length with him about his _real_ parents, throughout the years.  We’re not saying you can’t see him or know him, we just want your word that, if he chooses to stay with us, you won’t fight him on it.”

 

“I will _always_ fight for my baby!” Mary yells, turning away again.

 

“He’s not a baby!” Bruce says sharply, and Mary stills.  “He is an _adult_.  You haven’t seen him since he was still an infant.  You don’t _know_ him.”

 

“He’s my son,” Mary says softly, turning, tears falling freely down her face.

 

“And he’s our son, as well,” Bruce says, “Please.  Just let him make this decision, but don’t force him in any direction, and don’t fight him on whatever he does decide.  He is a young man capable of doing this.”

 

“Sir,” Jarvis suddenly comes over the intercom, “Peter is approaching.  Shall I detain him?”

 

“No,” Tony says before anyone else can speak, “Let him come in.”

 

“Please,” Bruce says, looking at Mary.

 

She nods after a moment, starting to move back toward the island when Peter’s voice floats in, “Hey dad, do you know where I put the—” he breaks off as he comes in, slowing to a stop at all the eyes on him.  “Uhm,” he says, looking away from Nick and his parents and over to Tony and Bruce, “Is everything okay?”

 

“Peter,” Bruce says, holding out a hand.  Peter goes over, looking suspiciously over at the others.  “Can we talk to you for a moment?”

 

“Uh, yeah, but Wade’s upstairs waiting, and—and, uhm—what’s going on?” he demands, looking over at Tony because he knows Tony won’t try to hide it from him.

 

“Sit down,” Tony says, “Do you want me to call Wade down?”

 

“Why, am I going to need emotional support?” Peter tries to lighten the mood, and then nods nervously when neither of them smile.

 

“Jarvis, send Wade down,” Tony says as Peter sits next to Bruce.

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Who’s Wade?” Mary asks, trying for a smile.

 

“Who are you?” Peter counters, though he thinks he knows, and he shakes his head even as Mary reaches out a hand.

 

“Peter, I’m your mother.”

 

“No,” he says, getting up off the stool.

 

“And this is your father.”

 

“No,” he says, shaking his head more furiously and backing away, “No, you’re—you—”

 

“We’re so sorry, Peter, we—”

 

“Don’t!” he shouts, putting up a shaking hand, trying to look away from them and failing.

 

“Hey, what’s—” Wade begins, but breaks off when he sees Peter, tears welling in his eyes and trembling.  “What the hell is going on?” he demands, striding over and starting to reach for Peter, but Peter flinches away and finally manages to drop his gaze, taking in a shuddering breath.  They’re all staring at him, waiting, and he breaks, one hand coming out to fist in Wade’s shirt, pulling at him.  Wade goes, wrapping his arms around Peter as he looks over at Tony and Bruce, wide-eyed.

 

“Wade, this is Mary and Richard Parker, Peter’s parents,” Tony introduces, and it’s the final straw.

 

“I already have parents!” Peter yells, pushing away from Wade and glaring at Mary and Richard, “I have two dads who love me, who didn’t leave me.  You can’t take me away, so _why are you here_?” he ends in a shout, and Mary gasps, reaching for Richard’s hand.

 

“Peter, we love you, we never—”

 

“Don’t say you never meant to hurt me!” he screams, “I _hate_ you!”

 

“Peter,” Wade hisses, grabbing his wrist, “Stop it.”

 

“Get out!”  When they don’t move, he screams it, his voice cracking, “ _GET OUT_!”

 

Richard stands even as Peter shatters, knees buckling under him, and Wade quickly reaches for him, holding him up.  He cradles one hand against the back of Peter’s head, and Peter clutches at him, breath hitching into a broken sob as he buries his face in Wade’s chest.

 

“I think we should continue this at a later time,” Nick says, standing.

 

“Peter,” Mary says, but Richard is pulling her to her feet and shaking his head.

 

“Mary, he doesn’t want us here.  Let’s go, we’ll come back when he’s ready.”

 

“Peter,” Wade whispers, rubbing a hand over his back, “Maybe you should talk to them.”

 

He’s silent until they’re at the doorway, and then he pulls away from Wade and says, “Wait.  _Wait_.”  They pause, and Peter takes a deep breath before saying, “Just—just give me a—a—I need to think.”  He shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut, and it’s a moment before he continues, “Sit down.  I—I need to, uhm—I need to speak to my dads alone for—for a minute.”

 

He doesn’t look at them as they come back in, but up at Wade, who nods and goes to pour him a mug of tea before Peter leads the way out of the kitchen and down the hall to the living room.  When they’re inside, he turns to Tony and Bruce, looks at each of them in turn, and then steps forward, winding one arm around Bruce as he reaches for Tony with the other one.  “I don’t want to leave you,” he whispers when he’s surrounded by them, “I love you.  I never want to leave you.”

 

“It’s okay, baby,” Bruce murmurs, pressing a kiss to his unruly hair, “Whatever you want, we’ll support you and love you no matter what, but I do think you should at least talk to them this once.”

 

“What if I don’t ever want to see them again after this?” Peter mumbles.

 

“Then you don’t have to,” Tony says, “This is entirely up to you, Peter, whatever you want.”

 

Peter pulls back suddenly, looking at them, and it’s a moment before he asks, “Do you still want me here?”

 

“Peter,” Bruce says on an exhale, staring at him in disbelief, “Of course we want you here.  You’re our son, and we love you, and we—we never want to lose you, but if you want to go with them, we’ll understand.”

 

“I don’t,” he says quickly, “I don’t care what they have to say, they’re not my parents, _you are_.”

 

Bruce nods, his smile wobbly as he pulls Peter back against him.  “It’s going to be okay,” he promises, looking over at Tony, who looks as unstable as he feels, but then Peter starts breathing audibly, and Bruce almost breaks.  He starts breathing with him, leaning their heads together, and Tony comes back over, joining them until they’re all on steady ground and ready to face this together.

**Author's Note:**

> Only three more after this one, guys! Don’t forget to leave your thoughts!


End file.
